A Country Miss in Hanover Square (15 page)

‘Forgive me for not greeting you the moment you arrived,’ she said, coming towards Susannah, hands outstretched. ‘Mrs Hampton—Susannah. I hope you like your apartments?’ She kissed Susannah on the cheek. ‘They are a little formal, I know, but it meant you could all be together and I thought that might be more comfort able for Susannah. We shall be quite a large party once everyone gets here—quite a few single gentlemen—so it is nice for the single ladies to have their rooms together.’

‘You are very thoughtful, ma’am,’ Susannah said and smiled. It was impossible to feel awkward in the face of Lady Elizabeth’s warmth. ‘Thank you for arranging it so….’

Lady Elizabeth’s eyes were knowing, filled with understanding. ‘This is such a large house. When I first visited as a girl I was situated in the east wing and I was for ever losing my way. I once ended up in the gentlemen’s wing, which might have been embarrassing. I did not wish it to happen to you. Now, Susannah, take my arm. We shall go down together. I was sorry that we did not see more of each other in Bath, but it was a short visit, because I needed to make sure everything was in order here. Now, my dear, take my arm, I want you to meet my friends. They are all eager to meet you.’

Susannah did as she was bid, laying her hand on Lady Elizabeth’s arm and listening to her hostess talk as they went along the landing and back down the stairs to the first floor. Lady Elizabeth was still a very attractive lady with a smile much like her son’s and Susannah was feeling more comfortable when they entered the large salon together. It was elegantly furnished, as was the rest of the house, but the atmosphere was softer here and the way the sofas and tables were arranged in small groups gave it a more intimate feeling. The colours were crimson, gold and cream, the furniture heavily gilded, as were the magnificent mirrors and pictures adorning the walls. There were some fifteen or more people in the room, some of them known to Susannah, others not. She saw the Earl of Ravenshead and Lady Manners, Miss Terry and her brother and several gentlemen she did not know.

‘My cousin, the Earl of Elsham—Lord Marsham and Sir Henry Booker,’ Lady Elizabeth said. ‘Lady Elsham and Lady Booker…Lord Coleridge and the Earl of Ravenshead. You must know that Max and Gerard are particular friends of Harry’s.’

‘I have met them both, though Lord Coleridge only once,’ Susannah said, offering her hand to the rather large and magnificent gentleman.

‘It is a pleasure to meet you again,’ Max Coleridge said, bold eyes twinkling. ‘Harry tells me you mean to learn to drive, Miss Hampton. I should be de lighted to tool you around the park when ever you wish.’

Susannah smiled and thanked him, desperately trying to remember the names as her hostess introduced her to more ladies. Several of them were older, relatives who had not been in London during the Season, but were obviously welcome guests here. Lady Ethel Booker was in her later years and slightly deaf. She used a lorgnette to good effect, training it on anyone she wished to inspect, and for the moment that appeared to be Susannah.

‘Not a bad figure,’ she remarked to her husband in a voice that carried a little too far. ‘Better than I expected from a country nobody.’

‘Be quiet, Ethel,’ her husband said. ‘You are speaking too loudly again.’ He directed an apologetic smile towards Susannah, who could hardly meet his gaze, let alone return the smile.

It was obvious to Susannah that Harry’s family were watching her, to see if she would do, and she was much afraid that she would be found lacking. How could she—an ordinary girl—be the right wife for Lord Pendleton when he lived in such splendour?

When Miss Terry and her brother ad dressed her she answered softly without her usual sparkle, feeling crushed by the weight of expectation all round. When she saw Miss Hazledeane enter the room looking relaxed, self-assured, her cheeks refreshed from a walk in the air, she felt as if she would have liked to run away. How ever, pride would not let her give in to such an unworthy urge and a moment later Toby came to her rescue.

‘Ah, there you are,’ he said and smiled at her. ‘My mother isn’t here yet, but she shouldn’t be long in arriving. My sister Anne will be with her. At least there are a couple of ladies of your age, Susannah. Most of the old
crusties
are here, but you mustn’t mind them. Their collective bark is worse than their bite. Here comes Harry….’

Even as he spoke Harry saw them and came towards them, a smile of welcome on his lips. ‘I am glad you arrived safely, Susannah. I was not sure when to expect you—I thought later this evening—but Toby tells me you made very good time.’

‘Yes, we did, sir,’ Susannah said and gave him a shy smile. ‘I am very glad to be here. You have a beautiful home.’

‘Pendleton is a show place,’ Harry told her. ‘I am not sure I would call it home. I have other houses that are more comfortable I may show you one day, but the family likes to gather here for a few weeks in summer. It is large enough to hold them all should they wish to visit, and I believe most of them are coming this year.’ A smile of unholy amusement touched his lips. ‘I am sure I have no idea why. Mama assures me that she did no more than issue the usual invitation.’

‘I imagine an invitation to Pendleton must always be accepted.’

‘Good lord, no! There are a couple here that haven’t bothered for the past five years,’ Harry said. ‘I dare say they have their reasons for coming this time.’ His eyes twinkled at her. ‘They have come to inspect the new bride—which reminds me, you do not yet have your ring, my love. I shall give it to you later.’

‘Yes…’ Susannah glanced down at the points of her white satin shoes. ‘You have extensive grounds. I should very much like to explore them one day.’ She longed for him to say that they could go for a walk immediately, but he did not.

‘You may walk where you wish, of course,’ Harry told her. ‘How ever, I shall take you driving tomorrow morning and you will get an idea of where everything is. I would not wish you to get lost and come to harm, Miss Pendleton.’ He looked at Toby. ‘I visited the stables earlier. You have done well. I heard there was a suitable pair and I am pleased with your choice. You have a good eye.’

‘Thank you, Harry.’ Toby looked pleased. ‘I would have suggested a walk to the lake, Susannah, but Aunt Elizabeth is determined to show you off to everyone,’ he said as Lady Elizabeth came towards them with an elderly lady in tow. ‘I can’t take too much of this! I am off. I shall see you at dinner, Susannah.’

Harry looked amused as his nephew made a beeline for the door. ‘I would emulate Toby and escape with you, but I am afraid you will have to smile and bear it, Susannah. By tomorrow they will all have satisfied their curiosity and you may escape with me to explore.’

Susannah met so many people before she was allowed to go and change for dinner that her head was whirling and she was afraid she would not recall all the names. She had not been sure what sort of a reception she would receive, but everyone seemed friendly enough. Most of them greeted her with a polite smile and she did not hear remarks about her person from anyone but Lady Booker, who had a habit of speaking loudly because she was deaf. However, from the smiles and nods she received during and after dinner, Susannah thought that she must have been generally approved—for the moment at least.

Susannah could not help wishing that they might have had a little time together before all his relatives arrived. She was trying to accustom herself to the idea that she was engaged to a man she loved—a man she was not sure felt quite the same about her. She knew that Harry felt some thing for her, but most marriages were arranged for reasons other than love, and she could not yet be certain that she was loved, as she would wish to be—to distraction.

Susannah would have felt her situation a little awkward even had she been sure that Harry was in love with her; only a girl of spirit could have coped with being thrust into a family gathering of this nature, and Susannah refused to be crushed by the weight of expectation. She would make every effort to enjoy this visit and she could hardly wait for the next morning so that she could escape for a while to go driving. Perhaps by the time they returned she would have more idea of how things stood.

She was relieved when she was alone in her room. Her maid helped her to undress, brushed her hair and wished her good night and Susannah got into bed. The mattress was harder than she was used to and, despite her efforts to settle, she tossed and turned for some minutes before getting up with a sigh of despair. She would fetch a book from the sitting room and read for a while.

The moon was shining full in the front windows of the sitting room. Susannah found herself drawn to them. She stood looking out for some minutes, and then she saw the man and the woman emerge from the shrubbery. They paused, embraced fervently, and then the man turned and walked away. Despite the moon light, Susannah was unable to see their faces, though she suspected that the woman was Miss Hazledeane.

Who had she been meeting? Could it be the Marquis of Northaven—had he followed her here from Bath? Susannah frowned. Harry would be angry if that were the case. However, she could not be certain. It might have been Harry himself, for he had seemed quite happy in Miss Hazledeane’s company when Susannah had seen them together earlier that day. No, no, that was a terrible thought! Completely disloyal and unworthy. Susannah did not know whether Harry truly loved her or not, but she was certain that he was not the kind of rogue who would kiss another woman when his fiancée slept only a short distance away.

She would not allow herself to be jealous of the other girl. If Harry had wished to marry her, he would not have spoken to Susannah. Her mind clear on that point, she wondered about the situation between Jenny Hazledeane and her lover.

Should she speak to Harry or keep Miss Hazledeane’s secret? A meeting at a teashop in Bath was one thing, but secret meetings in the moon light were quite another. Miss Hazledeane was Lady Elizabeth’s ward and she ought to behave circumspectly while living here. However, Susannah could not be certain of what she had seen. It would seem spiteful if she accused the woman of doing some thing she hadn’t—besides, it really was not Susannah’s place to spy on her.

She sighed and put the problem from her mind. She had problems enough of her own. She was still sure that she loved Harry, even though he appeared to have a temper when roused, but she was having doubts about the future. She had promised to wed Harry and it was what she truly wanted in her heart. Yet how could she ever be mistress of a house like this—the first lady of an illustrious family whose ancestors had entertained and even married with minor royalty? She was, as Lady Ethel had said, the daughter of a country nobody. In London that small fact had not seemed to matter. She had been swept off her feet by all the adulation she received, but here in this house everything seemed different. She was very conscious that the Pendleton family were watching her—waiting for her to make a mistake? Or perhaps she was judging them now?

Why had Harry asked her to be his wife? Was he marrying her because she was charming and beautiful—a suitable match and mother for his heir?

It would explain his anger in the inn yard, Susannah thought. He had spoken of being concerned for her—but had he also been concerned that scandal would ruin her good name? His own name and family clearly meant a great deal to him. He had still asked her to marry him, but how would he feel if there should be scandal over that incident? She remembered the way the Marquis of Northaven had leered at her when she was leaving Bath in Toby’s curricle. If there should be a stain on her reputation, Harry might wish that he had not spoken! Oh, she was foolish to let silly things haunt her! Harry had intended that this visit should be a pleasure and it would be if she could put her silly fears out of her head.

Susannah hunted for and chose a book of poetry she liked, taking it back to bed with her. She read for a while, then felt sleepy and blew out her candle. As she turned over to sleep, she was aware of a feeling of disappointment. She was not sure that she cared to be married because she was beautiful and would make a suitable wife. She wanted Harry to be madly in love with her. She wanted him to kiss her, not as he had when he proposed, but hungrily with a passion that overtook them both….

Chapter Seven

S
usannah ate rolls and honey and drank chocolate in the private sitting room with Amelia; Mrs Hampton had hers in bed, as was her custom. Amelia seemed a little quiet and she looked tired. Susannah suspected she had not slept as well as she might, but she refrained from asking questions. She was not as impulsive as she had been, and Amelia was entitled to her secrets. If she had news, she would tell Susannah, because they were friends.

‘What do you mean to do this morning?’ Amelia asked, as if making an effort to rouse herself from her reverie.

‘Harry is taking me for a drive around the estate,’ Susannah said. ‘I do not know if he will let me take the reins, though he has promised to teach me.’

‘Yes, you should learn,’ Amelia said and smiled. ‘I learned when I was younger than you. It is a useful skill.’

‘What will you do this morning?’

‘Miss Hazledeane asked me if I liked to walk. We may walk later,’ Amelia said. ‘However, I shall not go down just yet for I have some letters of business to write. I advertised for a com pan ion be fore we left town. I had several answers, but only one appealed to me. I have decided to ask a Miss Emily Barton to come for an inter view when I return to my estate.’

‘Oh…’ Susannah nodded. ‘Yes, you will feel lonely when Mama and I leave you. If—if I should be the mistress here, you will come and stay some times, won’t you?’

‘What do you mean, “if”? You are not thinking of crying off?’

‘Oh, no, of course not. I—I was not certain where we shall live. I believe Harry has other houses…’

‘Yes, I am certain he does.’ Amelia looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Of course I shall come to stay wherever you are, dearest, and I hope that you will stay with me now and then. If you were not mistress here, but somewhere else, it would be just the same.’ She smiled. ‘I know it all seems strange and overpowering at first, my love. You will be surprised at how soon you will become accustomed to living here.’

‘I might have known you would see how I feel,’ Susannah replied and laughed. ‘I still love him, Amelia, of course I do—but this house…all those relatives looking at me as if I might suddenly grow another head! I confess it has made me wonder if I am equal to the position of Lord Pendleton’s wife.’

‘It really was too bad of Lady Elizabeth to invite them all so soon,’ Amelia said and looked amused. ‘I am glad you can laugh, dearest. Last night you looked so crushed. I wanted to comfort you, but I did not wish to interfere, for your mama will say everything necessary I am sure.’

‘Mama is always good to me, but I know she has her heart set on the match,’ Susannah said. ‘She wants to see me settled and it is a good match, Amelia. Mama would not need to worry about paying her bills—I am sure that Pendleton would see her com fort ably settled.’

‘An excellent match,’ Amelia agreed. ‘But your mama wants you to be happy. Do not feel that you are trapped, Susannah. If you really feel unable to go through with it, you may withdraw—now I have said too much!’

‘You could never do that,’ Susannah said and got up to kiss her cheek. ‘I am feeling a little…
trapped
is not quite the word. I think
unworthy
might be a better one.’

‘Susannah, dearest,’ Amelia said, ‘Harry is fortunate to get you. I have found you quite the kindest, most thoughtful girl. Believe me, this feeling of being in adequate will pass. You will grow into the position, my love—and you will do it well.’

‘You always under stand. If it were not for you, none of this would have happened for me. I might never have met Harry at all.’

‘I am glad to have been of help to you, but I should feel guilty if you married and were unhappy.’

‘I think I shall be happy married to Harry,’ Susannah said. ‘But only if he loves me. I am not so sure that I shall ever enjoy being Lady Pendleton with all that it means.’

‘I am certain he does love you, and you will grow accustomed to the responsibility in time,’ Amelia said. ‘But you must talk to Harry about this, dearest.’

A knock at the door interrupted them, and a maid came in. She bobbed a curtsy and looked at Susannah.

‘Lord Pendleton asked if you were ready to join him, Miss Hampton.’

‘Yes, I have finished my break fast. You may tell his lordship that I shall be down in five minutes.’ She headed for the bedroom as the maid departed. ‘I must get ready, for I do not wish to keep Lord Pendleton waiting.’

Susannah snatched up the bonnet her maid had set ready for her, and draped a light stole over her arms, then pulled on a pair of leather gloves. She would not need a pelisse, for it was a lovely day.

Harry looked at Susannah as she came down stairs to greet him. She was wearing a carriage gown of green striped with white and trimmed with a white band at the hem. Her stole, boots and gloves were white, her straw bonnet trimmed with green ribbons. She looked beautiful and his heart turned over. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and tell her of his love, but before he could speak he saw his nephew coming towards them.

‘You look beautiful, Susannah,’ Toby told her as she reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘Harry is fortunate to have secured you as his bride. I shall be riding to the village this morning, but this afternoon you must allow me to show you the lake from the other side. It cannot be reached except on foot.’

‘How kind,’ Susannah said and bestowed a warm smile on him. ‘I can see it from my window and I shall enjoy the walk—but this morning I am looking forward to my drive.’ She looked at Harry. ‘May I hope that you will allow me to drive your horses, sir?’

‘I have purchased a suitable pair for that very reason,’ Harry told her and smiled as her face lit up with pleasure. ‘Toby was my agent and he has proved a good judge. They are not mad devils like my blacks, but well-bred creatures that are used to a lady’s hand.’

‘Oh, then I shall be able to manage them more easily than his,’ Susannah said innocently, for get ting that her lessons with Toby were supposed to be a secret. Harry shot a sharp look at his nephew, who was trying to look unaffected, but failing. ‘Shall we go—they will not enjoy being kept waiting, will they?’

‘You under stand your horses better than I imagined,’ Harry said and nodded meaning fully at his nephew. ‘I shall see you later, Toby. Would you be good enough to call on me in the library after nuncheon?’

‘Yes, of course, Harry,’ Toby said, a look of discomfort in his eyes. ‘Enjoy your drive, Susannah.’

Harry followed Susannah as she went outside. She had gone immediately to the horses and was patting them, stroking their noses and admiring them. She turned to him as he came up with her.

‘How lovely they are! It was so kind of you to purchase them for my benefit, sir.’

‘You used to call me Pendleton. I prefer it. Sir makes me feel as if I am old enough to be your father.’

‘Does it? Forgive me, Pendleton,’ she said, her eyes clear and free of guile. ‘I did not mean to offend you, especially after such kindness.’

‘It is little enough,’ Harry said, feeling cross for no reason. Anyone would think she was talking to a kind uncle instead of her fiancé! He gave her his hand, helping her up and taking his seat beside her. ‘Would you like to show me what you can do?’ When she hesitated, he looked at her hard. ‘I know Toby has been giving you lessons—the young idiot. He drives horses I gave him as a birthday gift and they are far too strong for a lady! Now I under stand why they bolted like that! He was not in control of them—you were.’

‘Oh…’ Susannah looked at him un certainly. ‘Please do not be angry with us, and especially not with Toby. I teased him into giving me lessons, you know. I did very well until the horses bolted and then of course I could not hold them.’

‘I am not cross with you,’ Harry said, though he did not smile in the way she loved.

Susannah looked at him a little un certainly. He seemed serious but perhaps he was not angry. Some of the tight ness eased in her chest. He had bought these horses to please her, so he must be quite fond of her.

She took the reins he held out to her, holding them lightly in one hand and accepting the whip he presented with the other. Harry nodded his approval. Encouraged, she gave the order to walk on. Immediately, she understood the difference, for Toby’s horses had been restive, always impatient to be off. This pair of fine horses behaved perfectly, responding to the slightest flick on the reins.

‘Oh, how lovely,’ Susannah cried after they had been driving for a few minutes. ‘So perfectly matched and such polite creatures. One feels that a society hostess has taught them their manners, for they would not dream of disobeying or doing anything outrageous!’

Harry burst into laughter, causing Susannah to glance at him, a twinkle in her eyes. ‘Yes, exactly,’ Harry agreed. ‘I thought them just right for a lady to drive. I am glad you are pleased with them. One thing I would suggest…’ He hesitated. ‘If I may? If you place your thumb so, it might be a little easier. I find it better like this…’ He placed his hands over hers, positioning them at a slightly different angle.

‘Oh, yes, that is easier,’ Susannah said. ‘I have noticed before that you hold your reins in a different way. It did not occur to me that it might make the control easier, but now I see that it does.’

Harry nodded. ‘It is a personal preference. Most of us have our differences. Gerard is a fine whip and Max is perhaps even better. I think Toby is getting there and in a short time he may achieve his desire to join the Four-in-Hand. He has been put on probation and, if he does nothing to arouse censure, will given full membership quite soon, I think.’

‘I have driven my horses at a walk and a trot,’ Susannah said, glancing at him. ‘When do you think I shall be ready to race them?’

‘Would you wish to?’ Harry studied her face. ‘It is not unknown for a lady to race her team on a private estate—but it is not encouraged. Are you brave enough to face the thought of gossip? And who do you intend to race?’

‘Oh, perhaps Toby,’ Susannah said, then remembered that she was about to become Harry’s wife and ought to behave with the proper decorum. ‘But perhaps I should not think of it. I would not wish to be thought fast.’

‘It would be thought fast if the race took place in public, but some ladies have the courage and the credit to carry it off. Perhaps in a few months you might have sufficient skill to try in private, though I am not sure you would find Toby eager to race you.’

‘Why?’

‘If he let you win, you would be angry with him, but if he beat you, he would be afraid of being thought a bad sport and it might offend his notions of gallantry. I, on the other hand, would have no such scruples. You will have to work hard to beat me.’

Susannah stared at him in wonder. ‘You would race me?’

‘When I consider you have the skill,’ Harry told her with a wicked smile that made her heart race. ‘Now, I think you should give your horses their heads and see what they can do—don’t you?’

‘Oh, thank you,’ Susannah said, her eyes bright with excitement. ‘I shall keep you to your word, I promise you!’

Susannah had never enjoyed a drive more! As they approached the front of the house at the end of some two hours, during which she had learned so much that Toby had not thought to tell her, Susannah knew that she had discovered a pleasure that would last through out her life. Any fear she might have had of handling the horses had fled as Harry put her through her paces, encouraging her to gallop her team for short spaces, showing her how to bring them back to a trot and then a walk. They had spent a long time perfecting a turn, and she had learned how to back her horses up, some thing she would never have dreamed she could do.

‘You are a wonderful teacher,’ Susannah declared as a groom came to take the reins and Harry helped her down from the curricle. He stood for a moment with his hands about her waist, his eyes intent on her face. ‘I did enjoy myself so much!’

‘Then we shall drive out again tomorrow,’ Harry said. He smiled in the way that made her breath catch in her throat. For a moment she thought he would kiss her as she longed to be kissed, but he moved away from her and the moment passed. ‘We must go in now, for Mama will expect us to nuncheon. I know you are engaged to Toby for the afternoon, and I have promised to keep my uncle Booker company on a tour of the estate, so I shall see you this evening, Susannah. Enjoy your walk.’

‘Yes, I am sure I shall.’

Harry was being scrupulously polite, just as he was in the drawing room in London society. Susannah felt a little bewildered. Was this the way they would always live? Behaving politely to each other, considering their guests and talking as friends, but nothing more? Susannah knew it was the way many couples lived, making the best of their marriages of convenience and taking lovers or a mistress in secret. Discretion was all, the public face everything.

It was not what she wanted! Not what she had hoped for when she dreamed of her marriage—but this was reality, not a dream.

She frowned and turned, walking swiftly up to the house. She must have the smell of the horses on her clothes and needed to change before presenting herself for nuncheon. As she was going upstairs, she met Miss Hazledeane coming down.

‘You should hurry or you will be late,’ Miss Hazledeane said as she came down. ‘You would not wish to keep everyone waiting, I dare say—even if you are going to marry Lord Pendleton.’

Something in her tone made Susannah wonder what she had done to upset Miss Hazledeane. However, she passed by without answering—she had no wish to quarrel with her.

Having changed her clothes, Susannah went down to the dining parlour as quickly as she could. Most of the guests were already there, helping them selves to an informal buffet. Miss Hazledeane was standing next to Harry at the serving table, smiling at him as he filled her plate for her. She gave Susannah an odd smirk as she took the plate to the table and sat down. People were sitting wherever they wished rather than in the places allotted in the more formal dinner arrangements. Susannah took a plate and joined the line, choosing some cold lamb, green peas and small new potatoes with a little mint relish.